Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web.
Google SGE is testing tabs in the AI overview snapshots. Google says Ad Strength is not used in the ad auction, so relax. Google is testing a short videos search bar filter. Google is testing larger font sizes. Google Image search added pixel-level object segmentation.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
Google: Ad Strength Is Not Used In Ad Auction
Ginny Marvin, Google’s Ads Liaison, said again “Ad Strength is not used in the auction.” She wrote this on X in response to an article on Search Engine Land named Google explains why Ad Strength is ‘so important’ as it addresses industry concerns.
Google SGE Testing Tabs In AI Overviews
Google is testing showing tabs within the AI overviews within Google SGE, the Search Generative Experience. When you swipe through the tabs, the generative AI changes based on the tab you selected.
Google Tests Short Videos In Search Menu Bar
Google is testing adding a “short videos” option in the search menu bar, so you can filter your search results by shorter videos. This, I guess, is in addition to videos in the search bar.
Google Image Search Gains Pixel Level Object Segmentation Animation
Google Image search now has pixel-level segmentation of objects in the foreground as you swipe from one image to the next. We saw this being tested on product images within the mobile search results, and now, according to Rajan Patel, VP of Engineering at Google.
Google Tests Larger Font In Search Box Again
Google is once again testing a larger font size in the search box in the mobile search results. We saw this back in 2021 with the mobile search box, also in early 2022 with the desktop search box and then several other times over the years.
Google Artificial Intelligence Briefing At Google’s Pittsburgh Office
Google held an artificial intelligence briefing at their Pittsburgh office a few weeks ago. The Democratic Policy Committee posted on Instagram a number of phots, I’ll embed them below, and wrote
Other Great Search Threads:
“last crawled” means last crawled by google. i removed the extra bullet you pointed out, as this status definition is clearer anyway, Lizzi Sassman on X
I deleted my previous reply to avoid confusion. The team looked at this further and found it is showing in the search term report in Editor. It includes some old definitions (e.g. “near exact” instead of “Exact (close variant)) and will be updated in the, AdsLiaison on X
Great to know that Reddit, Quora, and a 3-year-old Avvo thread are “better” results for this legal query than the American Bar Association. Makes it even better that the top answer on one of the Reddit threads is from s, Joy Hawkins on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
Best of SearchBot: Create a strategy to build high-quality backlinks
Google’s potential HubSpot deal likely to spark fresh antitrust scrutiny
ROI-driven content marketing: Aligning strategies with revenue goals
Ensuring quality in your SEO services: A checklist
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
Reminder – Google is turning off all Universal Analytics services and APIs, MarTech
Industry & Business
A HubSpot Deal Likely Wouldn’t Help Google Speed Up Its Revenue Growth, Forbes
Google’s Demis Hassabis Chafes Under New AI Push, The Information
Tensor G3 performance per watt: How efficient is Google’s top chipset?, Android Authority
Will Google Parent Alphabet Acquire HubSpot? Not So Fast., The Motley Fool
Links & Content Marketing
How To Get Unstuck With Generative AI in Your Content and Marketing, Content Marketing Institute
Local & Maps
Android Auto reads your voice messages twice, 9to5Google
Cope with Fear of Local Business Reviews, Moz
5 ways to use Android’s new Find My Device, Google Blog
Why You Should Download Google Maps Offline Before the Solar Eclipse, CNET
Mobile & Voice
Apple blocks cameras on Apple Vision Pro, developers say, AppleInsider
Apple doesn’t want Vision Pro to be the next Google Glass, but developers say that’s a problem, 9to5Mac
Global PC market returns to growth in first quarter after two-year decline, IDC says, Reuters
SEO
Advanced Screaming Frog Crawling Tips and Use Cases for Ecommerce Auditing, Screaming Frog
How 6 SEO Experts Are Navigating Google Update Chaos, WordStream
Observations About Google SGE in March 2024, BrightEdge
SEO for live news, SEO For Journalism
What’s Next for Google’s Search Generative Experience?, seoClarity
Out now: AI for SEO training course!, Yoast
PPC
Irish deputy premier said he is pursuing Google ads case ‘for the public good’, MSN
The cricket season game plan for advertisers, Microsoft Advertising
Search Features
Google app’s experimental bottom search bar on Android is slowly taking shape, Android Central
Google Chrome Adds V8 Sandbox – A New Defense Against Browser Attacks, The Hacker News
Other Search
Gemini Pro arrives in Android Studio, 9to5Google
Meta Platforms to Launch Small Versions of Llama 3 Next Week, The Information
‘My eyes hurt’ searches spike on Google following solar eclipse, 9to5Google
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